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Mother Ventures is looking at moms as the ‘economic engine’
As families across the U.S. prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, Allison Stern is looking beyond the single day of appreciation.
Stern just closed $10 million in commitments for her debut early-stage fund, Mother Ventures, which focuses exclusively on the mother as a consumer.
“In the U.S., moms are responsible for 85% of household purchases and have $2.4 trillion in spending power,” Stern (pictured below) told TechCrunch. “The numbers say that moms are the buyers, and they really are a very unique economic engine.”
Stern, a mother of two, is tapping into that spending clout by backing startups that reflect the needs of modern mothers. Since launching Mother Ventures two years ago, she has already deployed $4 million into 13 startups. Her portfolio includes Coral Care, which allows instant booking of pediatric specialists for children with developmental delays, and Tin Can, a popular Wi-Fi-enabled “landline” designed as a retro-style phone for kids.
Before launching her own fund, she co-founded Tubular Labs, a social video analytics startup she helped grow to $25 million in annual recurring revenue prior to its 2023 acquisition by private equity and served as an operating partner at The Chernin Group (TCG), a consumer-focused growth equity firm.
Part of TCG’s investment thesis included backing companies serving ‘overlooked unique audiences with spending power,’ such as Barstool Sports, which originally targeted Boston sports fans, she said.
When Stern set out to launch her own fund, she identified mothers as a similarly underserved market with the potential to deliver superior returns. “I felt like motherhood is the ultimate niche that’s not really a niche,” she said,
Stern convinced Tony James, the former president and COO of Blackstone and current board chair of Costco, to back Mother Ventures as an anchor LP. Other backers of the fund include Jessica Rolph, founder of the child development startup Lovevery, as well as female executives from Netflix, Rent the Runway, and Sesame Street, she said.
She argues that Millennial and Gen Z mothers expect a different set of products from on-demand transportation services such as Zum, to ready-meal delivery from DoorDash, and fintech tools like Greenlight that allow parents to instantly fund a child’s debit card.
“We want healthy things. We want subscription things. We want digital communities,” she said.
However, Stern doesn’t want her fund to be perceived as one that invests only in parenting tech. “It’s a consumer fund, and we focus on the mom as the consumer allows us to be wider in our bets,” she said.
News
Beyond the Touchline: Tikitaka FC Winger Boluwatife Kehinde Balances Football with Fashion Designing
For Tikitaka FC right winger Boluwatife Kehinde, football is more than a game; it is a childhood passion he continues to pursue while building an identity outside the pitch through fashion design.
Kehinde, who joined Tikitaka FC about six to seven months ago, has experienced both good and difficult moments at the club, describing football as an activity he continues to enjoy despite the demands that come with the sport.
The winger identified sponsorship as one of the challenges facing his football journey, highlighting a concern that can affect players seeking opportunities to develop their careers and compete at a higher level.
Although he is still relatively new to Tikitaka FC, Kehinde has previously featured for several teams, including Remo FC and Shiny Star, alongside other sides during his playing career. His experience across different teams reflects his continued involvement in football over the years.
Away from the pitch, Kehinde works as a fashion designer , offering him another avenue to develop his skills beyond the game. However, football remains his central sporting passion, and he says he is willing to devote time to pursuing it.
His experience at Tikitaka FC has not been without tiring moments, and his plans for the future remain open as he continues to settle into the team.
For Kehinde, the immediate task is to keep working and make the most of his football journey while navigating the challenges that come with the sport. With more time at the club, his performances and development could help shape the next stage of his career.
His story reflects the reality of a player balancing sporting ambition with life beyond football, as he continues to pursue the game that has held his interest since childhood.
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